Who is the most seductive Texas crooner?

None of the above. It’s a bat — free-tailed bats. And man, can these little guys sing.

Songbirds, of course, sing. But among mammals, singing, and more specifically singing to attract a mate, is rare. And the great state of Texas has some of the largest bat colonies in the world, living in caves, under bridges and lots of other dark places.

For three years biologists from Texas A&M and elsewhere recorded thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats — the official state flying mammal — in and around the Texas A&M campus. After this work they say bats are probably the best species in the world at using songs to find a mate. (Intelligent readers of this blog would like you to know there is thriving colony of these guys here in Houston, under Waugh Bridge.)

Want to join my roost, baby? (Texas A&M University)

Why? Well, bats fly at a speed of up to 20 mph, so a male bat only has about a tenth of a second to catch a female’s attention, says A&M biologist Mike Smotherman. So yeah, it’s important to make a good first impression.

Furthermore, if a male hooks a female, and gets her to join his roost, the scientists found that the male bats mix up their songs.

Probably, Smotherman believes, to keep the females entertained long enough for mating to begin.